Trichy East and Perambur: Why actor Vijay picked these two seats for his poll debut in Tamil Nadu elections
The two seats Vijay is contesting from - Trichy East Perambur- are currently represented by the DMK. Inigo S Irudayaraj is MLA from Trichy East, while RD Sekar is MLA from Perampur.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay will contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections from two seats – Trichy East and Perambur – the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief announced on Sunday, 29 March, as he released the names of party candidates.
“It will be C Joseph Vijay,” from constituencies Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli East, he announced. Trichy East is also called Tiruchirappalli East.
The elections to 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu will be held in one phase on 23 April.
The two seats Vijay is contesting from - Trichy East Perambur- are currently represented by the DMK. Inigo S Irudayaraj is MLA from Trichy East, while RD Sekar is MLA from Perampur.
“It's only atwo-sided fight between we, the people's team and Stalin sir's team,” Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief said while announcing the names of candidates.
Trichy East seat has a large Christian voter base
Trichy East is a key legislative assembly seat in Tamil Nadu, India, located within the Tiruchirappalli district. It is part of the Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency and is known for being an urban-dominated seat with a significant minority population.
The seat is currently held by Inigo S Irudayaraj of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), who was renominated for the 2026 election. In 2021, Inigo Irudayaraj won the securing over 94,000 votes. He won by a margin of 53,797 votes.
Irudayaraj is the founder of the Christian organisation Christhuva Nallenna Iyakkam. With a large Christian voter base, particularly from the Vellalar community, the constituency also has a significant urban electorate.
AIADMK's Vellamandi N Natarajan finished second with 40,000 votes. Natarajan of AIADMK had won the seat in 2016, while R. Manmohan of AIADMK had won it in 2011.
In this election, Irudayaraj is again the DMK candidate, the AIADMK candidate in Trichy is Rajasekaran, while Krishnasamy is contesting for the NTK.
Perambur was a CPIM seat until 2016
The second seat that Vijay is contesting ins Perambur, part of the Chennai North parliamentary constituency. The DMK and the AIADMK have won the constituency in earlier elections, but it has been a DMK bastion since 2019 bypolls.
In 2021, DMK's RD Sekar won the seat by over 50,000 votes. AIADMK's NR Dhanapalan finished second with 50,000 votes. Sekar had won the seat in 2019 bypolls too. In 2016, AIADMK's P Vetrivel won the seat, while in 2011, 2006 and 2001, the seat was bagged by CPI (M).
In the 23 April polls, the DMK has again fielded R D Sekar. The AIADMK has set aside Perambur for its ally, PMK.
Why did Vijay choose these two seats?
The decision to contest from two seats –
Trichy East and Perambur – is aimed at increasing actor Vijay's chances of winning at least one seat in his debut political fight, according to media reports.
Other TVK leaders, including General Secretary Bussy Anand, are contesting from constituencies in Chennai, mostly seats where the DMK is considered to be a strong player. Anand will contest from T Nagar constituency in South Chennai. Aadhav Arjuna will enter the fray from Villivakkam, while former AIADMK MLA JCD Prabhakar, who joined TVK, is fighting from Thousand Lights seats.
What happened in 2021 Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu?
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly polls held in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by MK Stalin, swept to power after a decade in opposition, winning 133 seats on its own. The DMK, along with Congress and other partners in the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), won 159 out of 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
- Vijay's entry into politics marks a pivotal moment in Tamil Nadu's electoral landscape.
- Trichy East and Perambur are key constituencies currently held by the DMK, indicating a competitive election.
- The upcoming elections are anticipated to be a closely contested battle between Vijay's party and the DMK.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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